


Disposal

by Nym



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-04-22
Updated: 2005-04-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 04:46:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9419393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nym/pseuds/Nym
Summary: Remus faces a difficult lesson, but learns a far more important one from his friends.





	

**Author's Note:**

> You may not repost or redistribute this fanwork in any form, including audio recording and translation, without the written permission of the author. However, writing sequels, 'remixing' something in your own words, or borrowing my rare original characters/ideas to make your own creation with is fine by me.

Time had never passed so slowly. His hand shook as he moved the quill, fine ink lines spidering out from his words. Cold sweat made him itch as Dumbledore's voice rang in his memory.

_"You are prepared for tomorrow, Remus? You understand?"_

_"Oh, yes sir. Thank you."_

Nobody was this good a liar. Nobody was this prepared.

_"There would be questions if the subject was not covered. There may still be questions, but after careful consideration I have decided that the lesson should proceed as normal." Dumbledore was watching him closely._

_"Yes, sir. I'm ready. It's just another lesson."_

_"Your favourite class, I'm told?"_

_"Yes, sir."*_

Remus had never been so desperate to escape a classroom in his life. He put down his quill, wiped his trembling hand down his robe and tried to bring a little moisture back into his mouth by swallowing a couple of times. Sirius and Peter had finished copying what was on the board already, but they weren't looking at their books as instructed. Remus glanced sideways at them. They glanced at each other and picked up their books. He dared not turn around to look at James. Dared not. Ink and parchment blurred before his eyes as he wrote, afraid to be the last to finish. He was on the last section of notes. Made a new heading.

_Disposal._

Remus copied out his death warrant and prayed for the bell, that the homework would be anything other than...

"Describe in detail the ways in which you can protect yourself from the werewolf. Refer to documented accounts of capture and disposal."

He barely made it to the toilets before expressing his revulsion. He clung to the basin, dizzy, trying not to fall. Someone came out of a cubicle and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Lupin? Are you okay? Should I get someone?" The Hufflepuff who'd sat with him on the train back in first year, talking about sweets the whole time. He removed his hand in a hurry when Remus heaved again. "I'll get—" The door banged open and shut. The sound of voices in the corridor seemed loud and distorted.

"Clear off." Sirius. "Go on." The Hufflepuff left. Remus couldn't remember his name, but most people did what Sirius Black wanted them to. Remus tried to catch his breath. "Finished?" Sirius held out a toilet roll and twisted both taps on. "Nasty that."

"Something I ate," Remus said, weakly, trying to push himself upright. It didn't seem like a good idea to let go of the porcelain. His hands felt stronger than his knees.

"I meant about Defence. Nasty stuff. It'd make anyone sick."

In spite of himself, Remus bristled at the implication that he couldn't handle his favourite subject.

"I told you, it's something I ate." Anger gave him a little more strength. He splashed water on his face and rinsed out his mouth.

"Better out than in," Sirius said, quietly. Someone banged on the door and shouted about it being locked. Sirius folded his arms and leaned back against the wall, shouting back. "Bugger off, you greasy turd!"

"Why've you put a spell on the door?" Remus didn't like what dread did to his voice. It made him sound like a little kid, scared of the dark. There didn't seem much point in saying that they would get into trouble for hogging a whole bathroom. Sirius got into trouble for things all the time and it didn't seem to bother him much.

"I was delegated. Or I sort of volunteered. Peter thought you'd be upset. I thought they might let you off. Pretty mean to make you sit through that, wasn't it? James is really angry about it. I said you must've agreed to it."

"What do you mean?" It had always been hardest to lie to Sirius. He'd tell the others instead, whatever story was the truth this month, and let them tell Sirius for him.

"We get why you had to lie about it. I don't blame you. James and Peter—we don't blame you."

"Stop it," Remus said, backing away from Sirius. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"About you popping off somewhere every full moon, and coming back looking like someone kicked you twice around the Quidditch pitch, because you're a werewolf."

Remus laughed without knowing why. He put his hand to his mouth to stop it happening again and pressed his back to one of the wooden door frames. Stupid, but he felt like running inside one of the cubicles and locking the door. Not laughing hurt his throat and chest, and for some reason he had tears running down his cheeks. He couldn't take his eyes off Sirius, and Sirius seemed to be having the same problem.

_"You understand how important it is to keep your condition a secret once you come to Hogwarts?" Dumbledore gave him lemonade and biscuits. "People would be frightened of you, Remus. People are often afraid of what they do not fully understand."_

"He understands," Mother said at once, almost interrupting. Dumbledore gave her a polite smile and returned his attention to Remus. He offered the plate of biscuits again.

"I understand, sir." Remus took a digestive biscuit that winked at him as he spoke. "Thank you."

"Say something, will you?" Sirius sounded nervous. He peeled himself away from the wall and came halfway over, but almost fell over Remus' satchel strap. He must be frightened.

"I...I'm not dangerous. I won't... I couldn't..." The bell rang, making them both jump. "We'll be late for Herbology." As if that was going to matter, once word got around.

"Stuff Herbology." Sirius glanced at the door, but shook his head, dropping his voice as though afraid he might be overheard. "James'll kill me if you never talk to us again. He said we should've said something before, but we outvoted him. Me and Peter thought you'd want to tell us yourself.

"How—how long—" Remus had to cough a couple of times to make his voice behave, because he sounded like a girl. "You knew?"

"What do you think we are, stupid?" Sirius looked deeply offended, but also a bit smug. Remus felt his mouth move a bit, but he had no idea of what he was trying to say. "We're the only ones, Remus. Promise. Just us in the dorm. Nobody else sees enough of you to—"

His mouth moved some more, but he still didn't say anything. Being scared had kept him on his feet, but he felt a little more like sliding to the ground with every reassuring word. There was another loud knock on the door. Remus held on to the wood behind him and took a deep breath.

"Nobody wants to be friends with a werewolf," he said, quietly.

"Well, we do. We are." Sirius cast an irritated look in the direction of the knocking. "James wants to talk to you about part-human rights and I think Peter wants to do some experiments on you. Don't worry, we won't let him," he added, hastily. "Much." Remus wasn't sure whether or not he was joking. He was saved from having to answer when the door burst open and Professor McGonagall strode in, her heels clicking noisily on the tiles.

"Professor, this is the gents!" Sirius howled, giving a convincing performance of struggling with his fly while trying to conceal himself from the intruder. Remus had to fight down a laugh.

"Make yourself decent, Mr Black, or I might transfigure something," McGonagall said, barely looking at him. "What's going on here? Who used magic to seal the door? Why aren't you in class?"

"I've been really sick, Professor," Remus said, gesturing vaguely to the running taps and misplaced toilet roll. James had often said he was their best asset; the teachers always believed him. "I'm sorry. I'm all right now. I was a bit embarrassed so Sirius locked the door." It helped that he was still shaking all over, and that half the story was true.

"All right then," McGonagall said, pressing the back of her knuckles to his forehead. "Black, take him to matron and then go to your class and explain your lateness." Sirius grabbed both their satchels in one hand and Remus' arm in the other, but he wasn't fast enough. "And a point from Gryffindor for your language to Mr Snape. Your mother would be ashamed of you." The fact that it was only one point said that McGonagall was more entertained than angry. The fact that Sirius almost dislocated Remus' arm said that Severus Snape was going to be mysteriously cursed before too long.

"You shouldn't do that homework," Sirius said. He didn't seem to be in any hurry to get to the infirmary. "They all know, don't they? The teachers?"

"Yes," Remus answered. He had almost stopped shaking, with Sirius supporting him by the elbow. It felt unreal, like one of his nightmares about being found out, except that it never happened this way. In the dreams, Sirius wasn't his best friend any more and nobody even tried to be kind. "Sirius..." He stopped and made Sirius stop too, but chickened out of what he'd been about to say. He'd never live it down if he said anything soppy. "I have to do the homework," he said instead, trying to smile. "I can hardly get less than an 'A' for it, can I?"

Sirius grinned at him.

"We'll all copy yours then."

"No."

"Or I'll hold you down while Peter does his experiments."

"All right then."

END


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